"Africa could be losing up to $4.2 billion annually in interest payments on its
loans primarily due to stereotypical narratives that dominate global media
coverage of the continent. The media’s portrayal of Africa has long been dominated by persistent stereotypes. This report explores the economic
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consequences of such biased reporting by examining the relationship between media bias in election coverage and its impact on financial flows. Using a mixed methods approach, the study quantifies media bias by comparing African countries to their peers and assesses how this bias correlates with sovereign bond yields or interest rates, a key financial indicator. The research analyses this correlation both quantitatively across election periods and qualitatively through case studies, with the ultimate aim to measure the economic impact of misrepresented media coverage on Africa. Our findings show that African countries receive increased media attention during general elections, with a disproportionate focus on negative issues such as violence and election fraud. This emphasis is more pronounced compared to coverage of non-African countries with similar political risk conditions, resulting in higher negative sentiment and bias scores for African nations. Notably, the term “violence” is highly associated with Africa in media coverage, particularly in election-related headlines. Our analysis further established a clear connection between media sentiment and investor perception of risk, which is closely tied to sovereign credit risk. Negative media coverage increases a country's perceived risk, which leads to higher borrowing costs. Conversely, positive media sentiment is correlated with a lower risk profile and reduced bond yields. Yet, this study found that African countries are unjustifiably perceived as higher risk by international investors, leading to significantly higher credit costs compared to countries with similar political and socio-economic conditions. Building on this key finding, we analysed a group of African countries to quantify the estimated additional costs the continent incurs on loans due to biased media coverage." (Executive summary)
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"This report has identified the importance of African business media to investment in Africa. Notwithstanding the increase in the quantity and quality of business media coverage revealed in our study, accurate and analytical business stories are still in demand from investors, and this will be more
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so during the current economic crisis. From our sample of investors, three main areas for improving African business media coverage were highlighted: access to reliable facts and figures; training to improve the financial acumen of local journalists; sustained efforts to promote responsible and accurate business reporting." (Recommendations, pages 25-26)
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"In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Rahmenbedingungen für Markteintritte ausländischer Fernsehprogrammanbieter in den chinesischen Rundfunkmarkt dargestellt, analysiert und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten aufgezeichnet. Dabei ist festzustellen, dass das Rundfunksystem der VR Chinas darauf ausgelegt
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ist, den Binnenmarkt mit Hilfe des Auslands zu verbessern. Die Begründung für unterschiedliche Ausmaße ausländischer Markteintritte kann aus theoretischer Sicht mittels produktiver und allokativer Ineffizienzen des Binnenmarktes dargelegt werden, dessen Produktionen qualitativ unterdurchschnittlich und zu teuer sind. Produktive Ineffizienzen treten auf, da planwirtschaftliche Organisationsstrukturen wettbewerbliches Verhalten zwischen den Marktteilnehmern verhindern und darüber hinaus kein Anreiz besteht, Fernsehprogramme effizienter zu fertigen. Allokative Ineffizienzen treten auf, da der Staat mit der Bereitstellung von Fernsehprogrammen das Ziel verbindet, Propaganda zu verbreiten. In diesem Sinne kˆnnen entsprechend dem ersten Zwischenergebnis die Bereitstellung hochqualitativer und eine hohe Einschaltquote versprechende ausländische Fernsehprogramme als Propagandarahmenprogramm verstanden werden: Den Konsumentenpräferenzen entsprechend werden Fernsehprodukte bereitgestellt, um eine allokative Verbesserung zu erreichen und zugleich das politische Ziel zu erfüllen, im Rahmenprogramm ausländischen Programms Propaganda zu verbreiten." (Zusammenfassung und Ausblick, Seite 69)
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"Do negative news reports on Third World countries have an adverse effect on the business climate, diverting transnational corporation investment away from those countries? In an exploratory study Nair has investigated the question, using data collected through library research and interviews with 3
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0 media and corporate executives in the U.S. Appendixes list some of the data." (Eleanor Blum, Frances G. Wilhoit: Mass media bibliography. 3rd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990 Nr. 313)
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"Acordo entre a International Press Association (Thomson International Ltd), que liga os jornais canadianos, britânicos e americanos, e a Amalgamated Press da Nigéria: reorganização da Amalgamated Press, formação de jornalistas, alterações e planificação - Ajuda apenas no domínio técnico
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- Não interferência no que se refere ao conteúdo dos jornais - Incentivo ao desenvolvimento da imprensa nigeriana - O “Daily Service”, um diário nacional, foi comprado e passará a chamar-se “Daily Express”." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1527, topic code 110.1)
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